Welcome to the forum.
My apprehension to embrace Catholicism stems from something that is probably quite shallow. The Church requires great sacrifice of its members. From relatively small things that trouble a young male like waking up early on a Sunday morning or checking and taming ones sexual desires to larger sacrifices such as forgoing financial comfort and “the easy life” in order to provide for the many children that inevitably result from contraceptive-free marriages. Not to mention the sense of isolation that must ensue from being a devout Catholic in a secular world. Several of my close friends are atheists, social progressives, hedonists or gay. In some cases a combination of all four. Undoubtedly a commitment to Catholic beliefs, even if left unmentioned, would be detrimental to our friendship.
To me, there is nothing better than Mass. I never want to leave.
As for children, the married life is one vocation, one which is holy, but there is another.
There is a sense of isolation in living in the spirit in the world of flesh:
I say then, walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
The corrupted world and the passions of the flesh are in opposition to the spirit. The inward man lives in the spirit, and even the slightest shedding of the things of this world can bring one so much closer to God, to joy. Those who value only the flesh see this as foolishness.
The company of humans are nothing compared to the slightest grace of God to one receptive of it.
